Hacked off. Whose fault. What do we do?

[Twister_Ken]

Round-the island race. One of the biggest mass participation sports events around. 1730 boats and approx. 13,000 sailors; “the London Marathon of sailing”.

This year, two spectacular records including the all time record for the race which has stood for about 15 years. The new record is 3 hours, 10 minutes and 11 seconds, breaking the record by just under 45 minutes. Not microseconds like a new athletics record.

And a BRITISH boat, Ocean Leopard broke the 1996 monohull record of 5h 12m 3s, lowering it to 4h 5m 40s. That’s for 50 miles over the ground, more through the water. And not namby-pamby land miles either. Both these boats and many more contain as much technology and design talent as a Williams F1 car. Yet while a grand prix gets wall-to-wall coverage on broadcast and print media I searched the Sunday and Monday broadsheets very hard to find much more than a mention of the event.

More tennis than you could shake a stick at (Henman lost again). Pages of cricket (England lost again). Football (it’s summer for heaven’s sake). Rugby (ditto, but at least it’s winter down under and the Lions were rampant). Golf (slow motion hockey in small town USA). Equestrianism (what?). Rowing (in Seville).

So why doesn’t sailing make the back pages (actually the Observer had a good big picture, but not many words). We thought the Olympic Golds might help. We thought MacArthur definitely would. What does sailing do to attract more public profile?

The RTI could hardly be more photogenic (I should know - I gave up trying to get back into through Hurst on Saturday morning and just stooged around between the Needles and Freshwater for three hours. When the hot kit turned the corner and freed sheets it was spectacular, and must have been even more so at ST Caths when they launched their kites).

Loads of human stuff from ‘personalities’ - soap stars and pop singers - to handicapped sailors, from Gold medallists to track and field stars. Apart from anything else, any paper covering it thoroughly would probably have harvested 10,000 extra sales to participants.

Is it the sport’s fault? The RYA’s? The sponsor’s (what the heck does Hoya do anyway? Would the Burger King RTI be more marketable)?

These aren’t esoteric questions. If we want to more and better facilities; if we want new moorings and marinas; if we want the British marine industries to succeed; if we want to fight off compulsory certificates and boat registration and water taxes; then we need public profile and sympathy.

 

[peterb]

Times

The Sunday Times had half a page, with a good photograph of GBR Challenge amongst the minnows at the Needles. You might even be in it.

And the Times Business pages had a good photograph of Skandia Leopard today.

 

[kimhollamby]

Re: Times

We're not the Times but have you seen the pics that we put together from the weekend?...about 160 of them. Go in via ybw.com or Yachting Monthly homepages if interested.

Grey old day and lots of rain; good test of a water-resistant camera and also of the sea legs (mostly mine as it happens) of the guy stuck below with the laptop. Agree wholeheartedly that this event deserves all the general acclaim it can get but all too often our interest is seen as the strict preserve of the rich and that's not so PC these days, unless it has wheels. Lots of people having as much fun as anyone can in the rain, everyman cruiser classes and all sorts of great little sailing craft were the things I saw when occasionally emerging for a breather, plus of course an astonishing mix of the more exotic.

Bravo. Let's see more of the same. There were a few clips on Meridian TV yesterday, by the way. Not exactly Murray though...

 

[bedouin]

Hear, hear

Perhaps if Ellen MacArthur had been taking part...

I have asked before - is there any decent TV coverage (e.g. satelite or digital) of sailing I don't know about. I do see occasional reports of the Global Challenge - but that doesn't impress me.

As you say, sailing has all the ingredients of an excellent televised sport, but at present no broadcaster has taken it up. Perhaps if the BBC lose a few more sports to commercial competition then they might be forced to turn to sailing to fill the schedule.

 

[Guest]

Re: Come The Revolution

You'll be aware that the present lot ditched the Royal Yacht, and while HM will pay for a new roof, she ain't interested unless it's got four legs. So the sports pages are, in fact, almost always all horse racing.

I was in Lymingtron, though, and saw several Outside Broadcast BBC van coming back off the ferry at 5pm. So it just might be on the telly sometime.

 

[AndrewD]

A word of caution, guys. What happens to sports that attract lots of TV coverage and PR generally? Don't they end up with money being the only thing that matters, takeover of the professionals, etc etc? Do you really wany sailing to be like Football? Be thankful that our heads are below the parapet, I say.

No sig is a good sig

 

[mikeb]

The Gaurdian had quite a good article in the sport section on Monday.

I know that sailing does not get much national newspaper coverage but nor does any other amateur sporting activity. In the main the newspapers report professional events and major International chamionships. I'd rather a mainly amateur sport than having high paid Gazzas of sailing

 

[Guest]

well, there's less danger of a pitch invasion so crowd control wouldn't be too bad.

However, I WOULD like a bit more coverage of a "main event" including the unfolding story of a series of races. This is the glue that brings a viewer back to watch time and again whether its a soap, footie, formula 1, and some cricket. There are already areas of sailing highly professional, moneygrubbing etc so why can't a series be on the telly? Then, other poular events (RTI) would also be covered in the same way as um The London Marathon is covered even tho it isn't pro athletics. The camera work wd be a bit tough, but all you need is an enthuisiastic commentator, an expert to say what's what, and camera crews in helicopter and 2 or three boats.

 

[Grehan]

Heavens, you've got a Parapet on your boat . . . (as well as a heads)

I am seriously impressed. As well as thankful.

Ha Ha
(sorry)

 

[Twister_Ken]

Andrew,

Superstardom for French sailors doesn't seem to bother the average matelot dans son beneteau. In fact he seems to enjoy much cheaper moorings, etc than us Wallies in Westerleys.

 

[Bergman]

I don't understand why you think it would be "good television" watching countless boats sailing in a big circle and taking hours to do it.

Don't you realise that the attention span of the average TV viewer is measured in seconds.

All having extensive television coverage would achieve would be to attract a few hundred additional people to buy boats, probably not "proper" ones since they won't win.

This will drive up prices of both boats and moorings.

What we ought to do is actively disuade people from taking up sailing.
Emphasis the cold wet and frightened bits.
Make a show of lodging your will in the marina office.
Display the life insurance policy alongside the VHF license.
One crew member to be carried off the boat on every return.
Have an ambulance standing by at every marina.
A defibrilator as standard equipment with the liferaft.

The list is endless

Once we get the trend downwards just watch prices fall and service standards rise.

 

[Guest]

Writing from the far reaches of the Empire, down here we might well be asking why you consider this particular event to be so important as to warrant the TV coverage etc which you seem to crave. And what will you do with it if you get it? Our sport of sailing, be it cruising, racing or whatever, is one of those pecularities which is of interest to only those who partake. It won't sell newspapers, no matter what we think about it (no bare boobs, I guess). I wonder how Yachting Monthly circulation figures compare with those of the best of the Footie mags?
You might also be interested to read that the recently removed Sports Minister Kate Hoey said that Blair's cabinet is "obsessed with football".

 

[doris]

Come on you guys, you lot voted in this bunch. The only participant in the last government that had complete cross party approval both in the commons and the press has just been fired courtesy of the suits of the FA. The press dare not dissobey the chaps in No10 otherwise slapped wrists all round. No money, whoops sorry votes, whoops sorry kissed babies, in sailing is there. PR and spin is all, the question is, is the prize worth the candle? Most replies say that it is not. Best sailing stay in the closet and attract no waves (ho ho)

 

[Adrian_Morgan]

It's only vanity that makes us want to see "Our sport" on TV, in newspapers, etc. Be thankful that it gets the coverage it deserves. It's crowded enough out there already. Why encourage more people afloat to clog up, hike up and mess up what little sea room is left.

 

[Twister_Ken]

I guess my thinking goes along the lines that in France where sailing has a very high profile, the sailor's lot is a lot better - successful domestic boat building industry, lots of new marinas and moorings areas, cheaper rates for keeping baots afloat and ashore (Channel and Atlantic coasts, anyway).

In Britain sailing is perceived as an elite pastime where rich yachtsmen can afford to pay through the nose for anything from a stainless steel screw upwards; where any proposal for new facilties is met by a chorus of nimbys, birders, and other mud flat lovers. When developments do happen they are resolutely private enterprise so end up walled-in by tacky apartments and charge £'000's per metre for berths. And what the heck if the yotting industry goes to the wall, it's only peripheral to the entire economy anyway?

 

[Mirelle]

sense. From my favourite yottin\' journalist

Could not agree more. Keep up the good work.

 

[Guest]

Blame the French revolution

As far as I am aware the French initiatives are to do with the land being owned by the State or the local authority, at least. Therefore it is in everyone's interest to develop and a free spirit is encouraged.

In the UK most of the land is privately owned and therefore any development is necessarily a compromise between opposing (self?-) interests. Woe betide a free spirit.

On the other hand the French street are littered with dogs doos because of the same freedom of spirit.

So there we have it, municipal marinas and dogs doos or private marinas and clean streets.

Chris Enstone, Rival Spirit